Taking it easy while roughing it Many of my fondest childhood memories are from summer camp -- minus the time a huge hairy spider jumped onto my sleeping bag. That traumatizing incident aside, I loved camping as a kid; but as I have gotten older, and dare I say more delicate, my favorite thing about [...]

A warm Italian welcoming and abudanza awaits at Santa Monica's North Italia restaurant From first blush I liked North Italia. And yes, that is an allusion to the fine list of vino, but first, let’s talk atmosphere. On a Friday night, the place was bustling. The vibe was lively and friendly. Like a hot night [...]

The weather is hot, the pool is cool, the kids are out of school. Here's what you need indoors and outdoors, for fun in the sun and summer entertaining. Glide through summer Cruise through the neighborhood, head to the pool, or coast over to your BFF’s house, and arrive like a rock star on the [...]

He won’t have to fake that he loves it, when you give him one of these manly gifts When you need a gift for the guy in your life, but you just don’t know what to get your boyfriend-husband-dad-brother-uncle-nephew-best man, etc, that he can really use, look no further than this list of things [...]

Generations of families journey to The Del to make memories to last a lifetime Visiting Southern California's Hotel Del Coronado on Coronado Island is like a step back in time, with all the amenities of modern life, in surroundings that remind you that others came before you -- epochs before -- to enjoy this same, timeless [...]

Small but grand hotels for visitors looking for a home-away-from-home in LA Los Angeles is a vast city full of diversity, where visitors and denizens can get whatever they want, whenever they want it, including hotel amenities. As a leisure or business traveler, you can find lodging from the most over-the-top in extravagance to the [...]

Essentials for fun in the sun, entertaining and vacationing all summer long Got Game Hitting the road with kids for a long drive to your summer vacay spot can mean hours of, “Are we there yet?” Or, with the coolest of old-school electronics, Mini Arcade Games ($19.99, Walmart), like Rampage, the kids will be toppling [...]

LA Locals and visitors adore this low-key family friendly waterfront area that offers a little bit of everything Marina del Rey is one of the mellowest beach communities in Los Angeles. With 600 acres of protected natural wetlands on its southern border, making its landscape unique and everlasting, it is quieter and more calm than [...]

We camped out in our Jucy van, and that’s alright with me Traveling from across the country to Southern California, it would have been impossible or at least vastly expensive to haul all our camping gear with us for a beach camping excursion. Jucy Trailblazer RV was the solution. This tricked-out Dodge Caravan included everything [...]